Garfield

Nice one! I picked up Model Rail earlier and we're mentioned in that, too.

And who would that be, eh? EH?

I know it's just a small point in the overall scheme of things, but it was a kidney condition he was suffering from, not liver disease. He was a genuine sporting legend. RIP.

I have no inside knowledge of SSM's business operation, but... that involves a significant outlay in itself and obviously doesn't make economic sense, otherwise I'm sure Des would keep some in stock, as he he does with his etched kits.

You can take the man out of Longford...

Indeed, but perhaps it would still have been stolen anyway? Now there's a 'what if'!

Exactly. The gunk was cleaned off, and the paint wasn't faded or bleached, so it's a perfect sample. He's compared it to other samples he has, and it compares favourably. Pretty straightforward...

Glenderg has already pointed out that he has a colour sample from an IÉ Mk3 coach that he's going to get scanned.

It could be your monitor settings... it looks fairly close to me.

Perhaps they are.

The only photo I've seen of one without the tanks was at Inchicore, so they could have been removed for maintenance. I'm not sure about the six-wheelers, but some vans could have the boilers, etc. removed during the summer months when heating wasn't needed, to provide extra luggage capacity.

They're storage tanks. Not sure of the exact arrangement on those particular GSVs, but I think the underslung tanks may have been for water, with fuel oil carried internally. I'm open to correction on this, though. The side profile was intended to match that of the Cravens coaches.

That's a tidy-looking build, JB!

Unless his enthusiasm had already led him to calculate it...

Considering how it would subsequently allow the CME to calculate the rate at which locos were consuming lubricant, it'd be quite important... supplies would have been severely restricted in 1944!

A sound familiar up until the early 2000s in some areas. No need for DCC sound, though... it's already replicated thanks to the rail joints on model track. And for those using long lengths of handbuilt or flexi track, just do what the late Tony Miles did on 'Adavoyle' a cut notches into the rail surface.

I found those New Irish Lines articles I mentioned previously. The first is on the proposed dieselisation of the GNR, which includes a number of drawings of proposed loco designs from the likes of Beyer Peacock, Alsthom, Sulzer, Henschel, Deutz, Vulcan Foundry... 'Great Northern Railway Diesels That Could Have Been' by Dónal Murray Part 1: https://www.dropbox.com/s/mz86b7x52bf58oh/New%20Irish%20Lines%20-%20Vol.%204%20No.%202%20-%202005%20November.pdf Part 2: https://www.dropbox.com/s/7y7ar7ocv92l0aa/New%20Irish%20Lines%20-%20Vol.%204%20No.%203%20-%202006%20May.pdf (Incidentally, the latter issue also includes an article by one J Beaumont entitled 'CIÉ & IÉ Liveries' - there's no escape!) Dónal's articles prompted a follow-on from one of our own members in the May 2007 edition... 'The GNR diesels proposal: an antipodean perspective' by John Mayne https://www.dropbox.com/s/f04ck64yjj6u9k9/New%20Irish%20Lines%20-%20Vol.%204%20No.%205%20-%202007%20May.pdf And Dónal also wrote a piece on the proposed electrification of the GNR main line, which includes a couple of drawings: 'Proposed Electrification of the GNR(I) Main Line' https://www.dropbox.com/s/37ilc0r6lk4brg6/New%20Irish%20Lines%20-%20Vol.%204%20No.%206%20-%202007%20November.pdf

Jaysus, JB... will you go for that pint already!

The middle flying snail is the 'right' one... the top wing always faced forward on loco tenders. I'm guessing that's a rarity, though?

OK, folks... for everyone's sake I'm going to lock this thread for the night and re-open it in the morning, when hopefully those getting all hot and bothered will have had a chance to sleep on it, and see things with a fresh (read: relaxed) perspective. Hopefully no further action will be needed... (That's genuine archive footage of Wrenneire on duty up in Mala Mala above, in case anyone's wondering) And in the meantime, here's a pic of some laminates to keep you all happy: See y'all bright and early!

That's quite a find, Ciaran... nice one!

Time is already telling, gents. The UK manufacturers are churning out a lot of modern image products and the simple reason for that is because it's being hoovered up by customers. Also, if you look at the UK exhibition circuit (not to mention the magazines), you'll see a lot of layouts set in the modern day. See also Murphy's NIR 11s, IE grey 071s, Intercity 201s, etc.

For those who read / subscribe to BRM from Warners, there is a nice mention of IRM and a shot of the CAD for the wagon in the December issue

On the contrary, I think a sizeable portion of hobbyists will choose this era. The reason Baby GMs, 201s, Mk2s, etc. are popular right now is because they're what a lot of us are familiar with, having grown up looking at them. I think nostalgia has a lot to do with it. Of course, there will always be a few who are more interested in the historical aspect and choose to model something from before their time, while some have interests which lie in the present day...

It's about miniature staff instruments found in signal cabins (as in the photo link in my previous post). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Token_%28railway_signalling%29